Minimum wage: FCT, Kaduna, other states workers insist on strike

The planned nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), scheduled for December 1, is facing challenges as several state chapters have opted out of the proposed action.

AFRIPOST had reported that President Bola Tinubu approved a new minimum wage of ₦70,000 for workers in July, with many states agreeing to pay more than the stipulated amount.

However, 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have yet to implement the new wage structure.

These states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara, Enugu, and the FCT.

In response to the delay, the NLC had announced plans for a strike in the non-compliant states.

However, some chapters, such as those in Imo, Sokoto, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, and Katsina, have withdrawn from the strike action.

Their leaders cited agreements reached with their respective state governments as the basis for their decision.

Hussaini Danduna, the NLC Chairman in Katsina State, confirmed that workers there would not join the strike, stating, “We have signed an agreement with the Katsina State Government, and based on this, we are not participating in the strike declared by the national executive council.”

Similarly, Uche Chigaemezu, the NLC Chairman in Imo State, said there was no intention to strike, as Governor Hope Uzodimma had committed to paying the ₦70,000 minimum wage.

“We have informed the national body of our position, and they are aware of the state government’s decision to implement the new wage soon,” Chigaemezu said.

Meanwhile, other states, including Kaduna, Nasarawa, Zamfara, and the FCT, have confirmed their participation in the industrial action, while Abia State remains undecided.

Despite the withdrawals, the NLC’s national leadership has maintained that the strike will proceed as planned.

Akeem Ambali, the NLC National Treasurer, stated that labour unions across the country had been mobilized to enforce the strike in states that have yet to adopt the new minimum wage.

He criticized states that had made only verbal promises without taking concrete steps, emphasizing that such states would not be exempt from the strike.